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“Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland in what European officials described [last] Wednesday as a deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down… Poland requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the drone incursion… Russia’s Defense Ministry said it did not target Poland, while Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, said it tracked some drones that ‘lost their course’ because they were jammed.” AP News
“President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. is prepared to impose fresh energy sanctions on Russia, but only if all NATO nations cease purchasing Russian oil and implement similar measures. ‘I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia,’ Trump said in a social media post.” Reuters
Here’s our most recent coverage of the war in Ukraine. The Flip Side
Many on both sides urge a strong response from the US and NATO:
“The peace overtures and concessions seem to have convinced Putin that, far from needing to back down, he can press forward. In the past few weeks, Russia has launched attacks on an American factory in western Ukraine and, in Kyiv, on the offices of the British Council and the European Union mission headquarters…
“Putin seems to be following Lenin’s famous ‘probe with bayonets’ strategy (as recounted by Richard Nixon, of all people): ‘If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw.’ Finally, after the violation of Polish airspace, NATO fighter jets were activated and shot down the Russian drones. Europe is often slow and feckless, but no one here doubts that it wants Ukraine to prevail in this struggle…
“The central question on everyone’s mind is: What is the Trump administration’s goal? Trump speaks of putting pressure on Putin but then does so in a bizarre, indirect fashion, punishing India for buying Russian oil (under an oil cap scheme promoted by Washington) rather than punishing Russia itself. He talks about ending the war but speaks fondly of Putin and the economic deals the United States could make with him… As long as what Putin hears from Washington is mush, he will keep pressing his bayonet forward.”
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post
“It is important to admit that the incursions caught the alliance off guard. To deal with a small fraction of the threat that Ukrainians fight off every night, the alliance scrambled some of the most expensive weapon systems in its arsenal: the F-35 jets… Using $100-million aircraft to chase drones worth $100,000 would not be a sustainable way of defending NATO airspace in a war…
“Russia’s advantage in its ongoing confrontation with the West is [that] it continues to escalate, but remains below the threshold of an actual hot war… There is a long list of obvious, overdue responses that the US administration and its European allies must enact. It starts with turning up the heat on economic sanctions, including on the purchasers of Russian fossil fuels…
“Most importantly, a response that will effectively dissuade the Kremlin from testing NATO’s resolve again must be disproportionate — while still staying below the level of an actual military confrontation. Again, the list of possible measures is long — think offensive cyberwarfare, sabotages, blackouts, seeding chaos and disinformation into Russian public debate on social media, and finding wedge issues that would help destabilize the Russian regime.”
Dalibor Rohac, New York Post
Other opinions below.
“Trump has little to show for the profound international recognition he’s offered the Kremlin over the last few months. Against the advice of world leaders, Trump invited Putin to Alaska in August—tasking U.S. soldiers to literally roll out the red carpet for the Russian dictator… Rather than de-escalate the situation after it breached Polish airspace this week, the Kremlin decided to stoke more fear, tossing threats at Finland if it decided to oppose Russia’s power.”
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, New Republic
“President Joe Biden and his team deterred themselves from being sufficiently aggressive because they were so afraid of provoking Russia, but they wisely warned that the United States would defend ‘every inch’ of NATO territory. The West might help Ukrainians kill invading Russians in Ukraine, the thinking went, but that did not mean NATO was at war with Russia. Putin and his lackeys generally played by those rules…
“With this gambit, however, Putin is testing whether Trump stands behind Biden’s ‘every inch’ warning… A security guarantee such as NATO’s Article 5 is ultimately just a promise written on paper. An incursion that unnerves one ally but prompts another to wave it off as insignificant sows further doubts about what will happen if Russia escalates… Trump has made ‘peace through strength’ his motto. Ambiguity in the face of aggression telegraphs nothing but weakness — and only invites further war.”
Editorial Board, Washington Post
“Putin’s pulled something like this time and again these last few years, successfully bluffing the Biden crew into backing off from ‘excessive’ support for Kyiv. But Trump called out Putin’s Polish game, posting: ‘What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!’… The allies’ course forward is clear: Call Vlad’s bluff [and push] the US ‘secondary sanctions’ button to starve Moscow’s war machine…
“And, since those sanctions hit Beijing the most, the Europeans must back them up: If they simply grab the China trade that Washington’s slamming, they’re protecting Putin. Immediate US military assistance to shore up Ukraine’s air defense also make sense… This response is appropriate and measured: Putin can’t keep his war economy going without the oil revenues these sanctions target, yet he has an easy out of finally sitting down at the peace table.”
Editorial Board, New York Post
“Trump and NATO should respond in a way that demonstrates willingness to defend territory with military violence. The alliance should provide the forces necessary to destroy any Russian drones that approach within 10 miles of the Polish border. Force may then not be necessary. But if Polish leaders feel their country is threatened, they should have an alliance backing to defend it aggressively. Russia is weaker than Putin lets on. He can be put back in his box if [NATO] shows it is prepared to shove him back in there.”
Editorial Board, Washington Examiner
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